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Notre Dame's Austin Gregg charges towards the basket as Delaware Valley's Shahid Adams defends during a game in March 2013 at Parkland High School. Gregg led the way for the Crusaders tonight in the Stellar Tournament.
(Express-Times File Photo | CHRIS POST)

"We've been playing a lot this summer and trying lots of different players in different spots," Boyle said. "We've struggled quite a bit. I think they're starting to realize we don't have the margin for error we had last year. Without Tannor and Vincent, all five guys gotta be able to rebound and pass the ball."

All the while, Notre Dame has had this weekend circled on its calendar: the annual Stellar Basketball Tournament at Cedar Beach in Allentown.

"This is a weekend we kind of set for ourselves to see where we stand," Boyle said.

If the Crusaders' first-round game tonight was any indication, they're standing on solid ground.

Notre Dame beat Penn Manor 71-24 in a game it dominated right from the start.

Austin Gregg poured in a team-high 15 points and 10 other players got in the scoring column for the Crusaders.

"We came out and played well," Boyle said. "We moved the ball well from the start, communicated defensively, and we were able to create some turnovers and some easy baskets early in the game. If we make the extra pass, we got a chance to be a pretty good team."

Boyle is leaning on returning guards Danny Kelly, Gregg and Mitch Daniel to set the tone defensively for the Crusaders, which they did tonight.

"Those three guys gotta lead the way until some of our younger guys get their feet under them," Boyle said. "We got a lot of talented young guys. We're hoping to get them up to speed sooner than later."

The Red Rovers turned in a solid 34-28 win over Berks Catholic in their first-round game, with 17 of their points coming from rising senior Hassan Greenfield.

"We expect a lot out of Hassan," said Easton coach Ben Childs. "I put a lot of responsibility on him being an experienced varsity player. What we got out of him tonight was about what I expect. He can play even a little bit better."

While Greenfield said he expects to have the ball in his hand a lot this year, he knows it's going to take more of a team effort than the one they had tonight.

"We gotta work hard, cause how we are now, we can't really win against good teams because the way we're playing right now is not as a team," he said. "We're playing individually. But when we play as a team, we can go all the way."

The Red Rovers were without Shane Simpson, but Berks Catholic was missing some players as well. It's all part of playing out of season.

"We don't all have our basketball legs, for sure," Childs said. "But I'm pleased to beat a good team. I know Berks Catholic is a very good program and I'm happy to get a win."

Easton and Notre Dame meet at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Liberty lost its lead in the second half against Cedar Crest, losing in the end 53-45. The Hurricanes had beaten a strong Reading team Thursday night in the first round.

"We've had two very good opponents in this tournament, so we feel very fortunate to have played both Reading and Cedar Crest and learned stuff from each game," said coach Chad Landis. "We gotta X and O it a little bit, but we've been competing. I'm happy with how the guys have been doing."

Landis watched the game from the far corner of the court, letting his assistant coach Chris DeEmilio do most of the pacing up and down the sideline and the in-game coaching.

For Landis, it's a chance to take a step back and keep things fresh.

"It's a great experience for the kids to hear somebody else," Landis said. "I come and go and make sure they still hear my voice, but it's a good working environment during the summer if you have the right staff and the right players. I believe we do."